The Ellsworth Court

SCOTUS
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Judgeships
	Posts: 9
	Judges: 9
Judges
	Chief: John Roberts
	Active: Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas

The Ellsworth Court marks one of shortest tenures of a Chief Justice in the history of the United States, lasting from March 1796 to September 1800. Oliver Ellsworth served during the presidencies of George Washington and John Adams.

Ellsworth was nominated as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by President George Washington on March 3, 1796, and was confirmed by the Senate on March 4, 1796. He received commission on the same day.^[1] In 1799, Ellsworth was sent to France to negotiate a treaty with Napoleon. During his travels, he informed President Adams of his resignation, effective December 15, 1800.^[2]^[1]

About Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth

Ellsworth was the primary author of the Judiciary Act of 1789. He is also credited with the "Connecticut Compromise," which created the bicameral Congress with equal state representation during the drafting of the Constitution.^[3]

Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Ellsworth was one of the first two senators to represent the State of Connecticut in the United States Congress.^[4]

Associate justices

The justices in the following table served on the court during Ellsworth's tenure as Chief Justice.

Tenure	Justice	Nominated By
09/26/1789 - 03/05/1791	John Rutledge	George Washington
09/29/1789 - 08/21/1798	James Wilson	George Washington
02/10/1790 - 10/20/1799	James Iredell	George Washington
09/27/1789 - 09/13/1810	William Cushing	George Washington
03/04/1793 - 09/09/1806	William Paterson	George Washington
09/30/1789 - 06/19/1811	Samuel Chase	George Washington
12/20/1798 - 11/26/1829	Bushrod Washington	John Adams
12/10/1799 - 01/26/1804	Alfred Moore	John Adams

Major cases

Details: Calder v. Bull
Author: Samuel Chase Vote Count: 6-0 Majority Justices: Oliver Ellsworth, William Cushing, and James Wilson Concurring Justices: James Iredell and William Paterson

Defining ex post facto law (1798)

In the case of Calder v. Bull, Mr. and Mrs. Bull were denied inherited land by the State of Connecticut Probate Court and attempted to appeal the case to the state court. At that time, Connecticut law had an eighteen-month statute of limitations on the time allowed to appeal the decision. The Bulls convinced the State of Connecticut to change the law and the Bulls won the right to the inheritance. Meanwhile, the initiator of the inheritance, Calder, took the case to the Supreme Court where it unanimously agreed on February 8, 1798, that ex post facto law only applied to criminal rights, rather than civil rights. This meant that the Connecticut law was not considered ex post facto.^[5]

President does not have authority to alter Constitution (1798)

On February 14, 1798, the Supreme Court decided that the President of the United States did not have the power to change the United States Constitution. The Court did not provide a rationale for their decision, but by their logic, the president would not be needed to ratify amendments to the Constitution.^[6]

Details: New York v. Connecticut
Author: Oliver Ellsworth Vote Count: 4-0 Majority Justices: William Paterson, Samuel Chase and Bushrod Washington

Supreme Court original jurisdiction in land dispute between two states (1799)

Prior to this case, two private parties were involved in a land dispute on New York's western border with Pennsylvania. The States of Connecticut and New York claimed jurisdiction over the land and had granted it to separate parties. The parties sued each other over ownership, eventually leading New York to file suit against Connecticut. The Supreme Court denied New York's sought-after injunction. This case marked the first time that the Supreme Court utilized original jurisdiction, often arising as a dispute between states, as granted to it under Article III of the United States Constitution.^[7]

About the court

See also: Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the country and leads the judicial branch of the federal government. It is often referred to by the acronym SCOTUS.^[8]

The Supreme Court consists of nine justices: the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices. The justices are nominated by the president and confirmed with the "advice and consent" of the United States Senate per Article II of the United States Constitution. As federal judges, the justices serve during "good behavior," which means that justices have tenure for life unless they are removed by impeachment and subsequent conviction.^[9]

On January 27, 2022, Justice Stephen Breyer officially announced he would retire at the start of the court's summer recess.^[10]^[11] Breyer assumed senior status on June 30, 2022.^[12] Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to fill the vacancy by the Senate in a 53-47 vote on April 7, 2022.^[13] Click here to read more.

The Supreme Court is the only court established by the United States Constitution (in Article III); all other federal courts are created by Congress.

The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., in the United States Supreme Court building. The Supreme Court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions in mid-June.^[9]

Number of seats on the Supreme Court over time

See also: History of the Supreme Court

Number of Justices	Set by	Change
Chief Justice + 5 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1789
Chief Justice + 4 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1801 (later repealed)	-1
Chief Justice + 6 Associate Justices	Seventh Circuit Act of 1807	+2
Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices	Eighth and Ninth Circuits Act of 1837	+2
Chief Justice + 9 Associate Justices	Tenth Circuit Act of 1863	+1
Chief Justice + 6 Associate Justices	Judicial Circuits Act of 1866	-3
Chief Justice + 8 Associate Justices	Judiciary Act of 1869	+2